Gomersal Conservative Club
The Gomersal Conservative Club was
opened on 29th May 1885 by the Hon. Edward Stanhope, MP. It had been established at the junction of
Moor Lane and Bradford Road in Gomersal and had 127 members at that time.
These original premises
for the club were based at what is now the “Dancing House” in Gomersal. This building was originally a Mill and then
spent a brief period as the Gomersal Conservative Club before becoming the home
of dancing in the early 1900s. The
building is shown as a Dancing School in 1927 Kellys Directory
Mr Stanhope presented a “Beaconsfield”
jug to the club. The jug was made of
porcelain and bore the portrait of the late Benjamin Disraeli, leader of the
Conservative Party and Prime Minister, together with the dates of his birth and
death plus some of his notable sayings.
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| Hon. Edward Stanhope, MP. |
After the opening in the evening a public
meeting was held in the Mechanics Institute with Frederick Ellis, Chairman of the Division presiding. He stated that
Conservatism was increasing in the area and that the “working classes” were
beginning to consider the Conservative Party and so the opening of this new
Conservative Club would help them. He
went on to say that he had accepted an invitation to address them that evening
on the political questions of the day. Leeds Mercury 30 May 1885 and
Lincolnshire Chronicle 2 June 1885.
The annual report for the club in
1893 showed that there had been an increase in membership with a gain of twelve
members and that the club had a “healthy balance.”
The club hosted a number of social
occasions, dinners and meetings. In 1892 they held a social in support of the “Shirley
Habitation” of the Primrose League in the club premises. Similarly in 1900 the club hosted a dinner in the
premises and entertained Capt. Glossop, the unionist candidate for Spen
Valley. The club promoted a military
garden party in August 1902 which was held in the grounds of Moor Lane House,
home of John Wormald. Morning
Post 15 Aug 1892; Hull Daily Mail 3 Dec 1900; Yorkshire Evening Post, 18 Aug
1902.
There is no mention of the when the club moved from its original premises or if it closed but in 1928 the Gomersal Conservative club was
reopened and a bazaar was opened by George Blackburn of Liversedge to celebrate the occasion. No record has been found to show where the new club was based in Gomersal. Mr W H
Clough, a veteran Conservative in the area said that he was glad that the
club would now cater for younger members.
He said that besides having tennis courts and other “recreations” the
main object would be
“educating young people in the Conservative
principles”.
He went on to say that
“the
ideal democracy was one in which the electorate was a moral, intelligent and
patriotic one.” Yorkshire Evening Post 22 October 1928
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| Michael Shaw. |
During the 1960s and 70s the club
often hosted events at The Red House and at this time Michael Shaw, MP and his family were prominent members. He had a large house in the area and hosted
garden parties for the club.
